CARE HOME RESIDENTS EXPERIENCE A WONDERFUL AFTERNOON OF WHISKY TASTING

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Rivermead Care Home in Malton, North Yorkshire were whisked away to the Highlands for a wonderful whisky tasting masterclass hosted by Lenka Whyles, Senior Specialist Tours and Tasting Manager for The Scottish Whisky Experience. Residents joined Lenka on a journey to find out all about Scottish whisky - from how it was first distilled, to where it is today, and what it is that makes Scottish whisky so prized all around the world.

The Scotch Whisky Experience sits at the top of Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile, right next door to Edinburgh Castle. Its mission is to make the world fall in love with Scotch whisky. Having first opened to the public in 1988, The Scotch Whisky Experience was created when 19 individual Scotch whisky companies jointly invested money towards showcasing the Scotch whisky industry to visitors from all over the globe.

An interactive exhibition, not a working distillery, the Experience represents 90% of the Scotch whisky industry, making it the ideal first stop for whisky enthusiasts. It welcomes around 300,000 visitors through its doors each year, 70% of whom are international.

Throughout the afternoon, Lenka gave the residents the opportunity to savour several different whiskies while she talked them through the tasting notes. At the end of her talk, Lenka gave the residents the opportunity to ask questions about the distillation and ageing process and about the different distilleries in the Highlands, many of which residents had visited over the years.

“It was a privilege and a pleasure to share some of our best-loved Scottish whiskies with the Barchester residents, it was a whistle-stop tour but hopefully we gave everyone a good flavour of some of the different whisky styles on offer,” Lenka said. Sally Turton, Head of Resident Experience for Barchester Healthcare, commented: “We love working with our wonderful partners like The Scottish Whisky Experience to bring a wide range of fantastic experiences into our homes for all to enjoy. This tasting was really interesting, not to mention delicious, because it showcased whiskies from all over Scotland.

“Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active and socially connected, providing a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities,” Sally added.

General Manager, Chloe Baron, said: “Our residents love nothing more than a wee dram or two of whisky so the tasting went down an absolute treat. It was very interesting to learn all about the different styles, our residents are looking forward to trying out some of the other Scottish whiskies Lenka mentioned.”

Rivermead Care Home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. Rivermead Care Home provides nursing, residential and dementia care from respite breaks to long term stays.

click here for more details or to contact Barchester Rivermead Care Home